‘Massive project needed to reveal hidden histories in temple inscriptions’ By N Nandhivarman. Times of India, Jul 18, 2014

‘Massive project needed to reveal hidden histories in temple inscriptions’ By N Nandhivarman.  Jul 18, 2014, 06.46AM IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Massive-project-needed-to-reveal-hidden-histories-in-temple-inscriptions/articleshow/38584700.cms

It would be a fallacy to say Indians don't value history. Our ancients left detailed records. Tamils not only recorded events in palm-leaf manuscripts and copper plates but also on temple walls. In fact, old temples found all over the state have extensive inscriptions recording several events - from small land donations to big wars. Pieced together, these records can offer a significant insight into the lives of Tamil people.

The Survey on Indian Epigraphy (1996) says Tamil Nadu is the biggest source of inscriptions in India. Inscriptions written in Tamil occupy the first position in volume, amounting nearly to 20,000, followed by those in Kannada (10,600), Sanskrit (7,500) and Telugu (4,500). Inscriptions in Tamil language dating back to third century BCE have been published in the survey.

The state department of archaeology has a separate epigraphy wing that was started in 1966. The primary function of this wing is to copy inscriptions on boulders, stone pillars, stones, temple walls and on copper plates. The inscriptions are deciphered, edited and published. So far, about 14,000 inscriptions have been copied and preserved in this wing. Some original copper plates and old palm leaf manuscripts are also under the custody of this department.

Yet, this is only a fraction of the inscriptions in the state that have been published. Despite several painstaking efforts in epigraphy including by foreign scholars, the sad part is various universities and Tamil scholars show no interest in inscriptions.

Temple authorities forget these are treasure troves of history. They focus on deities neglecting temple history.

For instance, a team of epigraphists and photographers associated with the French government's Ecole Francaise de Extreme Orient visited the Mangaipagar temple in Piranmalai, Trichy district, several times between 2009 and 2014 to find new inscriptions and check on those published in the past. But the priest refused to let them enter despite the experts explaining that they wanted to read a Kulothunga Chozhan inscription of late 11th century. During the fourth visit, a new priest had taken over and he let the team in. The experts found that the inscriptions had been hidden under a coat of sandalwood paste - 'Santhanakappu.'

Under the garb of renovation, masons who have little idea of history, paint temples and re-arrange stones carrying inscriptions with no regard for their continuity. At Senthalai temple in Tiruvaiyaru region of Thanjavur, the masons who undertook the work had thrown the order of inscriptions out of gear by not putting the stone blocks back where they originally belonged. Trained epigraphists should revisit the renovated temples to ensure that the inscriptions in grantha and devanagiri scripts are in order.

In fact, the Archaeological Survey of India and the state archaeological department should jointly undertake a massive epigraphic project. A team should visit all the temples in the state to ensure that inscriptions that have been already published are in order. Such visits would also reveal hidden histories that have remained unknown so far.

(The author is a socio-political activist and writer)